SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Those who waited around in the cold and rain from the time the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga opened at 5:15 a.m. until Sovereignty finally made his appearance nearly 4 1/2 hours later were rewarded for their patience. The Kentucky Derby winner got the better of no less a workmate than Arthur’s Ride after breezing a very impressive-looking five furlongs in 1:02.45 over a surface officially labeled “good” throughout the course of the morning.
Sovereignty was quite aggressive galloping by the wire and into the clubhouse turn prior to breaking off two lengths behind the older and more seasoned Grade 1 winner at the five-furlong pole. Sovereignty rated off his target until midway on the turn and readily moved on even terms after completing an opening three furlongs in 37.36 before ultimately sticking his head in front approaching the wire, doing so while just nudged and going easiest of the classy duo at that point. Sovereignty then edged clear while widest of the pair galloping out into the turn, easing up after six furlongs in 1:16.03.
“I don’t know how the track was playing time-wise after they harrowed it at the break, but I thought [the work] was very good,” trainer Bill Mott said moments after Sovereignty returned to the barn. “He was a little strong in the warmup, but [exercise rider Neil Poznansky] got him in behind, and when he tipped him out, he kind of went right to the other horse. The plan was to sit off, join up, and finish together – and that’s exactly what he did.”
Mott said he’s definitely seen a change in Sovereignty coming out of his 1 1/2-length victory over Journalism in the Derby and since shipping to Saratoga earlier this month.
:: DRF's Belmont Stakes Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more
“I think he’s gotten a little stronger and a little more aggressive than he was at Churchill Downs prior to the Derby, but it certainly hasn’t set him back any. He looks great,” said Mott. “I don’t know about the horse, but poor Neil was probably a little worn out. He was really a handful this morning.”
Mott said Sovereignty will have one more work prior to the Belmont Stakes here on June 7.
“I just hope he continues to train well up to the next race and we get a fair track [in the Belmont],” Mott added.
Although Journalism’s starting status for the Belmont remains undetermined, he continues to train on a regular basis and has looked sharp since arriving locally from Pimlico earlier in the week. Journalism galloped approximately 1 1/8 miles over a sealed and muddy main track shortly before 8:00 a.m., according to regular exercise rider Mark Witkowski, who said he took it a little easier with the Preakness winner in lieu of the track conditions.
Journalism went through his paces shortly after Heart of Honor, a distant fifth in the Preakness, turned in an even more leisurely gallop over the main track.
Hill Road works at Belmont
Hill Road, the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes winner, worked a half-mile in 49.05 seconds on Saturday, according to Daily Racing Form, over a fast Belmont Park training track in preparation for the Belmont Stakes.
Going out shortly after the track reopened at 9:30 a.m. following the second renovation break, Hill Road worked on the inside of Lordship, a maiden winner who finished fourth in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park on May 10. The pair, both equipped in blinkers, were pretty much together through splits of 13.72 and 25.47 seconds, meaning they got their final quarter in 23.58 seconds. Hill Road and Lordship galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.97 and six in 1:15.15.
“I just wanted a steady work with a strong gallop-out,” trainer Chad Brown said. “These are staying horses. The best part of their works and their races will be the late stages. I liked what I saw around the turn. Galloping out was really what I was looking for. Hill Road is very fit now. He’s in a good part of his form cycle. I’m just looking to maintain where I’m at with that horse.”
Hill Road, a son of Quality Road, has run three times in the U.S. Last November, when still trained by Adrian Murray, Hill Road finished third behind Citizen Bull and Gaming at odds of 61-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He made his first start for Brown in March in the Tampa Bay Derby, where he finished third behind Owen Almighty. After missing the Wood Memorial due to a fever, Hill Road rallied from seventh to win the Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 10.
Brown has not yet named a rider for Hill Road for the Belmont Stakes. Flavien Prat rode Hill Road in the Peter Pan, but he is committed to Baeza, whom he rode to a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Brown said Hill Road will remain at Belmont Park and have his final pre-Belmont Stakes workout over the training track next weekend before shipping to Saratoga.
“I like how he’s going here, and with Saratoga just opened and the track sort of settling into its seasonal use, I can’t be convinced there’s any advantage to get a work over the track right now,” Brown said. “It’s going to be changing day to day all the way up to the race.”
– additional reporting by David Grening
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.